Local group eyes opening disc golf course in David City

Members of the Butler County Chamber Ambassadors during a recent David City City Council meeting discussed their proposed plan for installing a disc golf course in the town's Park.

The proposal was met with numerous questions regarding what a nine-hole course would mean for the overall layout of the park, what the use would actually be like and what the expense of the overall project would be.

While the city wouldn’t incur any expense – it would be covered through a fundraising campaign – Mayor Alan Zavodny noted there are some steps he and the council want to take before making a final determination about whether the project can move forward.

“We will touch base with our insurance carrier and see what they have to say about it and, I think, it would be worthwhile to discuss and learn more about this and then discuss it as a committee of the whole,” Zavodny said.

The plan was brought before the council by ambassadors Deb Dinkelman and Jim Angell. Dinkelman explained to the council that she came up with the idea because her son enjoys the activity.

Handing out maps to the council with proposed hole layouts, Dinkelman explained that the disc golf course would be built on four northern areas of the park that are maintained but not overly used.

The plan calls for disc catchers to be erected at the end of every fairway on the course, as well as 4-foot by 6-foot concrete launch pads being installed on each tee-box. Signs with a course map would be visible at each tee-box to help players navigate their surroundings.

Each hole, Dinkelman said, would cost approximately $550-$600.

“We have a plan as far as sponsorships and what we want to do with that,” she said. “We just need the OK so we can start, and I don’t imagine we would be working on this until spring.”

One concern raised by Zavodny and others was whether disc golf players will be throwing across streets, noting it could potentially pose a danger to those driving in the area.

“You will have to walk across the street, but you are not throwing the Frisbee across the street,” said Dinkelman, noting that players compete with various discs of different weight.

Zavodny added that discs potentially landing in the street could also be hazardous for players, however, Dinkelman responded by saying the same danger is posed when children chase a stray baseball while playing at the park.

Councilmember Skip Trowbridge noted his concerns about the park becoming obstructed and cluttered.

“I’m not a fan of planting chunks of concrete in the park,” Trowbridge said. “And I’m also not a fan of impeding the normal flow of the park by putting metal things (disc catchers) for people to walk into.”

He inquired whether the baskets would be illuminated at night. Dinkelman said they wouldn’t, however, people would be just as likely to run into a tree or a bench as they would be to run into a cage, she added.

She also said that the concrete launch pads were just an option and that they wouldn’t necessarily have to be installed.

It was highlighted that in the late 1980s or early 1990s, at least a few disc golf holes were set up at the park as part of a local boy’s Eagle Scout project. The activity, though, hasn’t been available in some time. Down the road from David City, Columbus has a disc golf course in Pawnee Park, and there are numerous other community courses located around the state, Dinkelman said.

Angell said that he believes moving forward, all questions and concerns raised by the council can be addressed.

“Right now we are just to the point of saying, ‘hey, we want to do this and we will come up with the funding,’” Angell said. “In terms of the real fine details, we will figure those out. I’m not saying your questions aren’t valid, I’m just saying that we will be able to deal with (those questions).”

Sam Pimper is the news editor of The Banner-Press. Reach him via email at Sam.Pimper@lee.net.

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